For all the platinum discs and empty platitudes bestowed on superstar DJs-cum-producers like Calvin Harris and David Guetta, it would be fair to say dance music has been in a state of flux for some time now. Nigh on two decades if we're being honest. Whereas acid house and rave culture came along at the tail end of the Eighties like an electronic hybrid of punk rock rallying against the corporate greed of major labels and industry bigwigs, its gradual dilution into an inoffensively watered down commercially viable product whose main purpose in life is to soundtrack video games or sell mobile phones.

So when Factory Floor emerged with the flawless Wooden Box EP at the turn of the decade, hope was restored. Past referencing both their electronic forefathers and krautrock, yet ultimately forward thinking in execution and delivery, the future was theirs for the taking. Only DFA labelmates LCD Soundsystem's cross-pollinated hybrid of dance, pop and rock came anywhere near close to redefining a genre that had become tired and complacent. Stuck in its ways and happy to continue being so if the £££ signs stacked up.

Of course the story of Factory Floor goes back much further than 2010. Initially a post-punk influenced noise duo, their gradual evolution to where they're at today seems like a natural progression of sorts – even if musically they've become slightly less accessible between 2013's self-titled debut and 25 25, its long awaited follow-up. Probably the most significant change in between times has been the departure of synth player Dominic Butler, which on the surface shouldn't make too big a difference but from the perspective of their formerly intense live shows most definitely has. With founder member and one-time live drummer Gabriel Gurnsey now sharing duties with Nik Colk behind a vast array of electronic machines and gadgets, Factory Floor's dynamic has shifted somewhat into more minimalistic territories.

Never ones to be afraid of looking to the past for inspiration, 25 25 bears all the hallmarks of an early Warp Records release. The kind that created a shapeshift in electronic music a quarter of a century ago. Listen to Cabaret Voltaire spin off Sweet Exorcist's 'Test One' or Autechre's 'Flutter' and elements of both crop up several times throughout 25 25. Entirely different from its predecessor in structure and composition and almost a world away from anything Factory Floor put out before, it heralds a new chapter in the story of an outfit constantly striving to push boundaries another step closer to the edge with every subsequent release.

Aided and abetted by David Wrench on mixing and production duties, whose previous credits include Caribou's Swim, Jamie xx's In Colour and all of FKA Twigs' output to date. Between them they've created an album that flows incisively from start to finish to the point where its difficult to envisage any individual track being specifically lifted for radio play or 45 duty (although to date a couple have been). Instead, 25 25 is a record that demands to be heard in its entirety. An album in the truest sense of the word and one that makes its intentions clear from the outset. Every piece feels studied with guarded precision, some occasionally morphing into the next one.

Vocals, or rather voices become a source of added instrumentation. Often adding an eerie sensibility like on the echo laden 'Wave' or dissonant closer 'Upper Left'. Synthetic beats interplay with live drums at various intervals, opener 'Meet Me At The End' being one example. The repetitive loops of 'Slow Listen' and 'Dial Me In' quickly become the most focal and engaging points of the whole album, and while its difficult to pick distinctive highlights from something so broad and spacious, both the aforementioned would fall into the upper echelons were each component to be graded in order.

To their credit, Factory Floor haven't taken the easy option and made Factory Floor mk 2. Not that such a compromise was ever likely, and while 25 25 is an uneasy listen at first, it's worth the perseverance even when giving up seems like the only plausible option.